Package Design - September 2014 - 22

The role design
plays a lot of times is
that of problem solver,
and that's the part
that I really like.
-Deena Keller, design lead, Method Products

THE MIGHT OF NARRATIVES

"I love breaking down the walls in corporate
silos," Niedermaier says. "You always learn
something. I think if everybody had a little bit of
cross-curricular knowledge with all the departments that they work with, it would impact
their work.
"We get some inspiration from our master
distillers," he continues. "These guys are passionate about the liquids that they make. You
really want that story to come through to the
consumer."
Positano adds, "Conceptually, a lot of inspiration can come from where the liquid was
sourced from, as well. Our liquids tend to have
these great stories about where they're from.
Laphroaig Scotch whisky is from an island in

SEPTEMBER 2014

Scotland called Islay. The island gets pounded
by the salt and the sea. That product shouldn't
be showy even though it's expensive. It should
look rugged, but simple and down to earth."
Niedermaier adds, "Storytelling is so big
now. It used to be a kind of tangential part of the
brand, but as Beth said earlier, it plays a big role
in places like global travel retail."
Positano remarks, "Have shoppers picture
Beam in the place where it came from, and you
will make consumers a) happy because it makes
them think about the place that they're not necessarily in but also b) think about the authenticity of the product and the fact that it does have
a history behind it."
Heritage and product inform design at
Cross. "The visual identity for any of the pen
products is based on the DNA, the design language of the brand, which comes from a pen
called, Classic Century," Andrew explains.
"Everything is designed to tie into the simplicity
of that design. So you won't find complicated
packaging, it's very simple and easy to understand, and the design language is very clean."
The product story should take precedence in
the package design, says Mau. "Packaging is the
purest expression of a brand," she explains.

that has just never been available to a consumer
or a homeowner before."
Part of a designer's and a company's mission,
according to Gillespie, is to go beyond consumers' stated needs. "Some people think consumers want what they get or should get what they
want," he remarks. "I think the designer's job is
to provide a future for consumers who might
not really know what they want. You can come
up with something unexpected, that's totally
revolutionary.
"All of the designers around the world are
looking at the same trend research and the same
technologies and the same cultural shifts, and
they are designing products for futures that regular consumers don't understand yet" he adds.
"Designers live in a completely different world. A
future many consumers can't yet imagine." l

DESIGNING THE FUTURE

When a package design is done right, it can elevate the consumer's overall perception and
experience with your brand. "Quite often, our
product is not a highly considered selection, but
a nuisance repurchase," Luce-Barton says.
"Something burned out, and the consumer
needs to replace it." When a shopper is navigated up the line of Osram Sylvania offerings,
they might discover a way to improve their lives
everyday.
"The interesting thing is that people really
don't think about lighting a whole lot, but it's so
important to your life," she remarks. "How many
times do you come in contact with a manufactured lighting source? From the moment you
wake up in the morning to the time you turn off
the switch at night and crawl into bed, you have
experienced lighting in so many ways that you
couldn't even begin to count. With the products
coming on the market today, there's so much

If you just design
within your current
parameters, you're not
going to do anything
interesting, you're only
going to go with what's
already accepted.
-Saskia van Gendt, captain planet,
Method Products

Package Design - September 2014

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